Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-03-18

BURNED AND MANGIED IN MAKING THEIR ESCAPE |
THE ELEVATOR SHAFT SPREADS THE FIRE LIKE
LIGHTNING AND TELEGRAPH WIRES IMPEDE THE
FREMEN.
BUFFALO, Y. ", March 1S.-Another calamity
has visited Buffalo. The splendid new Richmond
hotel at the corner OF Main and Eagle streets was
totally destroyed by fire early this morning, to-
gether with 81. James hall and other adjacent
property. The most dstressful part OF tine disaster
isthe loss of several human lives. At this writing
90 amy it is impossible Go say just how many per-
sons are killed and injured, but the number is
large The rapidity o. the fire cutting Off means
of escape led some persons to leap for life from the
windows. Others got down the fire escapes or on
the ladders raised by the fire department. The
shrieGs and cries OF the poor people in the upper
stories OF the burning structure were heartrend-
ing. One man mad with terror
LEAPED FROM THIRD STORY WINDOW
and was picked up from the stone sidewalk on
Main street 4 mangled and bleeding corpse. Sev-
eral who succeeded la making their escape were
badly injured and burned. and some of these will
pf96a S, d,e 9er more e, l1uma,e orr eScpea
taken Ia ho>pii ais. Among these Were r. III. Bry
ant, New York travelling ma.i, burned about the
ribly burned about the hands and wrist. Robert
stow, senior proprietor of the hotel with his wife.
occupied rooms on the second floor and had mar
row escape
TERROR OvERCaME EVERYBODY,
and even those who escaped safely wer. in many
cases Frustrated by their awful experiences. To
this there was one notable exception. 4 man
stood Scantily clothed at OF the WINDOWS OF the
fourth story alternately surveying the names
darting up behind him and then coouy and col
lectedly watching the operations of the f.emen
raising the Hayes extension ladder 10 save him.
He uttered not word but was apparently busy
CALCULATING his CHANCES
Up went ladder slowly but surely and finally
reached him just as the fire was bursting out OF
the window where he stood. He reached the top
6p@ppulpI Ip
hberately and without the slightest injury.
AT 9 O'Clock an estimate or The loss OF life was
twelve, but this is. in n measure. guesswork.
There were 125 persons i'm the hotel. seventy OF
whom were transient guests. eight bIarderS and
the propriefors and clerks. Twenty-two on these
were rescued from the windows 10y the firemen.
TWENTY-FIVE are at the hospitals. and large mum
Der made their escape by other means.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The origin of the fire is not rs Yet known. VIM.
II. Alport, the night clerk, says: .The fire started
in the cloak room under the main stairway at
$50 O'Clock. There was nobody up but myself
joe the night porter and Plummer, the heil-bOy
pulled all four OF the fire alarms on the different
floors, and the people came flying down stairs in
their night clothes The lire followed the eleva-
tor, and inside OF five minutes reached the top
floor"
BeI-boy Plummer tells his experience as fol-
lows: 81 was busting the reading room when 1
heard shout and saw the 1ames coming up the
stairway from the basement. Mr.. AIport and
turned on the hose under the main stairway. We
turned the valve, but
THE WATER WOULD NOT Run:
then we gave the alarm. The fireInen and got
plank and broke in the Eagle street entrance.
Then we got the plank under the fire escape on
Eagle street and helped people down. / think
there were about 81 guests in the house,
The spread or the flames is said TO have been
frightful in its rapdty. The elevator shaft served
as fiue for the flames As the guests Were ro;stsi
and saw the interior exits cut of they turned to
the windows. They could be seen in their night
clothes against the lurid back ground OF fames.
THEIR SCREAMS WERE HORRIBLE
and could be heard for blocks. The flames spread
to the southeast side OF the hotel first. The fire
men did noble work. The telegraph wires Were
as usual. in the way of the ladder brigade. and
much valuable time was lost in cettingt the ladders
past them. Among the guests were ABOUT twenty
insurance agents. who had come Oh Ia just The
losses OF the fire IT Miller, Grener Co. 5 ami the
Courier Office OF Tuesday. Perhaps
TIRE MOST THRffIf.,G ESCAPE OF ANY
was that of President Whitaker, Stepson OF Pro
prtetor stafford. He roomed in the fifth story
looked down. Then he deliberately dressed him.
self and emerging from the window stood on the
stone Gaping above the window beneath. From
this capping ne stepped 10 the next one along the
front OF the building and proceeded i'm this man-
ner to the Hayes truck ladder NJ other extremity
of the front. The nerve ana coolneSS displayed
were remarkable.
THE ELEVATOR SHAFTS DEADLY PART IN THE
TRAGEDY.
Wm ii. Airport. night clerk, states that he was
sitting I'm the Office at s:40 O'Clock when he saw a
reflection on the tiled floor. Turning around ne
discovered blaze i'm the coat and cloak room di-
recty under the stairway on the main foor. The
tremendous force, and in an incredibly short
space Of time the interior Of the hotel fi1ed
with smoke and iams Then sa.nsG terrible scenes
in less than five minutes from the
time it was discovered. It soon reached and gut
ted st. James hall, occupied as BunnellS museum.
and Tivoif hall, adjoining and fronting on Wash
ington street. The fire. which was under control
by ) O'Clock, was confined TO the Richmond hotel
and museum property, together With the saloon or
James Creighton and the cigar store OF j. &. Pa
lacio on the Main street side.
TELEGRAPH WIRES CAUSED THE LOSS OF LIFE.
AS usual the firemen were hampered terribly by
the mass of telegraph wires and cables strung in
front OF the building On Main street. Some eye
witnesses think the loss OF life was largely due to
the delay caused by the telegraph wires. Hugot
Aitshui OF New York, assisted number OF women
from the burning building. He, He then made , ,, his
ne ner @" Of %" washington and North Division
a commercial traveller OF Brooklyn, was the last
man rescused from the Eagle SIDE street. He could
be seen for some minutes before O'Clock standing
firth floor canton Bidwell. OF PttSburg, was found
lying on a cot at Dr. Hayd's Office, on Niagara
MADE A ROPE OF THE SHEETS
OF his bed and was badly scorched In his descent,
but will recover William ). Mann, one OF the
ing experiences in getting out Mrs Mann was
terribly burned about the head, arms and legs.
Their little daughter Jennie was also badly
burned.
HOW FIVE GIRLS GOT OUT.
Alfred G.. Clay, OF fniiauelpnla, ana Louis f.
Smith OF BROOKLYN, had barely reached Bunnell's
museum room when on locking back. they saw
fiye girls in fiftl-story window. They had tied
the bed clothing into rope, which they hung out
hut none OF them seemed TO have the courage 10
start AT last one OF the fre took hold and swung
down to window ledge, from which she Was Az
sisted by Messrs. Clay and Smith. Three others
came down In the same manner, and then the NTH
girl started down. She had gone but little dis
tance when
THE ROPE PARTED AND DOWN SHE WENT FOUR |
STORIES
Strange to say she was not killed. Her legs were
terribly cut and bruised, her back badly Injured
and her face and arms were In frighUrul condi- /
ton from burns Her name Is said 10 be Mary
ConneN In front OF Dingen Bros. store lay dead |
man covered by mattress. He could not be /
recognized. Mark Osborne, day clerk and assist |
ant manager OF the hotel Is missing. lie slept on
the south Side. 1t is believed he persisted. |
Over twenty guests and employees OF the hotel /
were injured, many OF them 50 severely that they
cannot recover Jacob kOhn, OF New York, badly |
injured by jumping from the fourth floor. he /
broke his back and one leg and was also burned.
James Mcguire, night engineer at the post Of /
flee, tried to rescue young girl from q room on |
the third floor, but she was lost. Mr.. Mcguire /
said: ut was terrible to hear her cries. For some
reason she could not open the door and was un- |
able TO break it In"
THINKS ONLY SIX LIVES WERE LOST.
Mr.. Stafford. proprietor OF the hotel tells the |
following story: 'Our room was on the south end,
and we dropped down TO the roof OF the frame |
building. We were awakened by the electric bells,